Drawer slides have been provided for supporting chassis, or drawers, in a cantilevered arrangement, such that the chassis may be inserted into and removed from within a cabinet or a rack while supported by respective drawer slides. Drawer slides usually have two or three slide members, with a first slide member mounted to a cabinet, or rack, and a second slide member mounted to the chassis. Three part drawer slides have three slide members: a cabinet member which is mounted in fixed relation to a cabinet or rack, an intermediate member which is slidably mounted to the cabinet member for telescopically extending from and retracting into the cabinet member, and a chassis member which is slidably mounted to the intermediate member for telescopically extending from and retracting into the intermediate member. An equipment chassis, or drawer, is mounted to the chassis member. Bearings spaced apart by bearing retainers have been provided between mating drawer slide members. Some drawer slides have frictional sliding engagement between mating drawer slide members, rather than bearings.
Drawer slide locks have been provided for selectively latching drawer slide members in selected relative positions. Staging locks have been used with three part drawer slides to selectively determine the sequence of whether the intermediate member or the chassis member is the first to extend from within a cabinet member, and whether the intermediate member or the chassis member is the first to move from an extended position into the cabinet member or the intermediate member, respectively. Staging locks have been mounted to intermediate members and engage cam forms on the cabinet members to move between open positions, or unlatched positions, and closed positions, or latched positions. Lock catches have been provided on the chassis members for the staging locks to engage when disposed in the closed positions, or locked positions, when respective chassis members, intermediate members and cabinet members are disposed in selected relative relations. The lock catches have been provided by forms stamped into web portions of cabinet members. For some applications, it is desirable that the chassis member fully extend from within the intermediate member prior to extension of the intermediate member from the cabinet member, and that the chassis member fully retract into the intermediate member prior to the intermediate member retracting into the cabinet member.